


Thursday

by CrescentMoonRising



Series: The Night is Darkest Before the Dawn [11]
Category: British Actor RPF, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Feels, Happy Ending, I Love You, getaway, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 00:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5354402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrescentMoonRising/pseuds/CrescentMoonRising
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom takes his girlfriend away for a short trip to a Cottage in East Yorkshire and has a few burning questions to ask of her...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thursday

**Author's Note:**

> I got ahead of myself last weekend, so to backtrack, here's a something my followers of T&N will enjoy. :)

_**April, 2015** _

_**7:00AM** _

“This is quite lovely that you came up with all of this, Thomas.  Makes me wonder if you’re about to apologize for something.” Noelle’s eyebrow raised to his frustrated huff while he leaned on the counter, stirring one of the pots that steamed in haste.

 

“What if there is no reason, other than I want you to relax and enjoy yourself? I know you’ve been insane with flying back and forth from here to the U.S. getting the company set up.  I’m wrapping up Night Manager and soon we’ll both be in the same place at the same time for the next three months.  Why not kick it all off with a little mini-holiday?”  There was a note in his voice, the subtle raise into an octave above his normal speaking voice that most would not notice.  

Grabbing a dried date from the bowl in front of her she shrugged, “Well, I can say without question that I’m happy we’re together, and that’s all that matters.” He stopped his languid stirring to bend forward and kiss her lips, his bottom lingering on hers for a brief second before pulling away.

“So, what’s on the agenda, then?”

He furrowed his brow with a hint of a smile and a sideways glance her way, “Oh, I had some ideas.”

* * *

 

**_11:00AM_ **

The property that Tom chose for their getaway seemed more like a villa than a cottage, but Noelle found it quite quaint.  The weather had turned warm for April and she quickly dressed in some lighter layers to head out for a walk along the river banks that lay within feet of their backyard.  After a few hundred yards in silence, Tom broke through her thoughts.

“So, I was thinking…”

“Always a dangerous pastime with you, Hiddleston.”

With a rotate of his jaw as if he’d been punched, he sighed, “Thanks, Garguilo, I needed that.” She giggled into his forearm, and grabbed his hand with both of hers.

“I’m sorry, you know I can’t help it.  Go on, you were thinking of something.”

He inhaled to capacity while he looked out at the lapping waters, “The house, the one that’s near Ben and Charlotte’s right by Belsize Park? Close to the Heath?” Noelle nodded along, remembering she left the information packet with him before she left for her trip to the States.  She had not expected him to give them much thought or time with his filming, and figured they’d discuss it at some point.  

They had the flat, and could keep their lease for as long as they wanted.  She still wondered why she even thought it was an option in the first place, another one of her, “jump first, and figure it out later” ideas.

“I think we should buy it.”

Noelle halted mid-stride and her eyes went wide.  This was beyond an “idea”.  This was a game-changer, a relationship changer.  

She stammered, “Yo-you can’t be serious, Tom.  I got those fliers on a whim, I mean it’s a gorgeous house, b-but it’s huge, way too huge, and—“

“And it’s a solid investment.  We’ve been leasing the flat for almost three years now. Yeah, it’s great, but what is it doing for us? We’re both professionals, we both make ample amounts of money. Why should we keep plunking money into a place that’s not ours?”

 _He always knows how to win with solid logic._   “It’s a house, though. There’d be so much more involved than in the flat. I mean, we’d need more furniture and landscapers and cleaning people, not to mention insurance and more electric.”

The grin spread when he leaned over, “Maybe you’d have enough room for all those shoes so I wont trip over them anymore.”  Noelle’s mouth ran dry from being open for so long, all while he began walking again.  He held her hand to gently guide her back to his side.

“We’d be right around Benedict and Charlotte.”

She scoffed, “That’s a plus?”

Tom laughed a bit louder than usual, “Yes.  Well, we both like Charlotte.” Noelle nodded before Tom continued.

“I think it’s a great idea, perfect in fact.  Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

Noelle only had to think for a half a second, “No. No, I haven’t.”  Her voice trailed off,  “A house.”

“ _In fo-ggy Lon-don town_ ,” he sang, while bumping into her hip.  “Just you and me, Noelle. I believe this will be the beginning of a beautiful new chapter.”

Noelle looked up at Tom, and the small pinpricks of nerves, the ones that jumped in fear, settled into butterflies in her stomach.  After over three years together, he could still produce those first-date jitters within her.  Their arms linked while they continued their walk, her arm tightening when the path became uneven or covered in rocks.  They stopped when a flock of geese and ducks crashed into the waters, making waves that rippled and splashed outward.  

* * *

 

**_14:00PM_ **

Noelle sat on one of the many loungers scattered on the deck, the lazy afternoon sun tickling her nose and her legs as she stretched out onto the bannister.  Tom disappeared inside earlier, searching for food while she let every ounce of stress she’d held in her body for the past few weeks fall to the ground like  petals on a flower.  She loved the sun, loved the warmth, loved how it wrapped around her, making her feel safe and alive all at once.  She realized that this place was commensurate to her own personal heaven at the moment.

“Dinner’s ordered, should be here in a few hours.” Noelle nodded, watching the trees sway in the distance. He sat on the edge of her chair, facing her while his eyes gazed up and down her face and body.

“So, we have a few hours,” he murmured, leaning into her ear before his lips grazed along the shell of her ear. Sending shockwaves over her skin, she felt the immediate rush of blood in her ears, the lack of breath at the sensation.

“I wondered why it would take so long,” she managed before his mouth moved to her neck, his tongue dragging lines over her pulse.

“I may have requested a late delivery,” his hands roaming her stomach and waist before moving upwards, caressing her breasts with the pads of his thumbs. His lips brushed hers and he moved just out of her reach, prompting a hushed whine in her throat.

He licked his lips before his nose grazed hers, “Shall we put this time to good use, then?”  It took one nod before he kissed her, soft and slow before his tongue prodded for entrance.  Her fingers gladly raked into Tom’s longer hair before he pulled her up and into his arms.  Tom’s long legs closed the French doors behind him as he and Noelle made their way back up to the bedroom, never fully releasing the other’s lips or body through their hushed and then more emphatic moans.

* * *

 

**_19:00PM_ **

Noelle remained at the long table in the back of the property, watching the skies begin to change to vibrant pinks and purples.  Tom insisted upon cleaning up the trays and silverware as Noelle opened the book in front of her. Notes from her meetings in the last week, full of numbers and ideas floated on every page.  They were a haphazard explosion of a language only she could decipher.  

Returning to London, she was in charge of her own business, a new company that would be direct for movies and television shows.  A combination of agency and talent development, that would place her in the forefront of the entertainment industry.  The rest, the details her agent would hammer out were beyond what she would handle at present.  It would be reasonable to let it all go, just for these next two days, before necessitating her attentions.  

What did require her attention was the sunset, and the glass of chilled white wine that rested in front of her, and Tom, who she could hear returning as he strode through the grass.  He sat in the chair next to her and the two listened to the winds roll through the trees as they swayed back and forth.

“We’re going to be homeowners,” he said with a wink and Noelle still shook her head at the prospect.

“If the home is still available,” she noted sticking a finger up in the air as she reached for her glass.  Tom grabbed her hand instead, kissing it before he rested it on his thigh.

“I’m sure it will, I can’t imagine homes at the fifteen million pound range are being sold like wildfire right now.” Noelle agreed and he stood up, still holding her hand as he leaned against the back of the chair.  She kissed his palm as he kissed the top of her hair, lingering a bit while the breezes picked up again.

“I think we need something though, to make the house ours. Maybe right away, something that says,’This belongs to us. We did this’.”

“What are you thinking?” she asked, still basking in the warmth of his hand, the gentleness despite the strength she knew he was capable of displaying.

“I’m thinking we need a plaque? A sign, or something.”

“Two crazy people live here? Be forewarned?” she giggled, laughing at her joke.

“No, more like: Mr. and Mrs. Hiddleston.”

Noelle swore she heard him wrong. She remained immobile, unable to breathe, until she went to turn towards him, and found him on one knee in the grass, looking over at her.

“Marry me?”

“Wh-what?” she gasped.

“Marry me, Noelle.  Marry me so when we come home, it’s a place that belongs to both of us in every sense of the word.  Marry me so when we are together, I never miss a single moment. Your smiles, the laughs and the tears, I want to be a part of all of it.  Marry me so I can see them all, whenever I can.

“Marry me because I love you, beyond a comparison I could never have imagined.  Because I see you with every inch of my soul and know that you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, until we’re old and gray and forgetful.  Because, I’ll always relish in how much I love you and how beautiful you look right now, as always.

“Marry me because I want to face the rest of my days, the highs and the lows, the triumphs and the defeats, with you by my side.  Because I want to be your strength as well, partners through every phase of our lives.  

“Marry me because I want to have children with you. I want to watch them grow up and become their own little individual beings, combinations and deviations of us.  I want to stand with you in their successes as well as their stumbles.”

Noelle realized that the drops were not from the clouds, which were high and white in the sky.  No, they were falling from her eyes, down her cheeks as she quietly sobbed at his words.

“Marry me because this life means nothing without you.  You are my world, I’ve said it before, and I will say it again.  I’ll do it in a church, or a ballroom or in front of a judge, none of that matters.  But I love you, Noelle Marie Garguilo, and I’ll ask you once again.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring so big and gorgeous, Noelle nearly fell off her chair.

“Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he now laughed, through his tears as his eyes twinkled like the colors of the sky.

Her head nodded yes before the words spilled out, “Of course! Yes! Yes, I will!”  Her opposite hand flew to her mouth as Tom slipped the ring on the hand he held throughout it all.  Once it settled, Noelle threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shirt.

“I love you, God, how I love you.” Her hands grasped his cheeks before her lips crashed into his.  

“I love you too,” he sighed, holding her against his body, their tears intermingling on their cheeks.  Noelle pulled away, if only to gaze at the ring that made is home upon her hand.  It was perfect, something she would have chosen if she went with Tom herself. A timeless setting with a classic cut, and stunningly brilliant, it was a ring she would wear with pride.

Tom reached up and held her hands, staring deep into Noelle’s deep brown eyes before he said, “Together?”

She could not remove the smile from her face, even if she tried. “Together.”

 


End file.
